Businesses in Edinburgh and the Lothians have been awarded the King’s Awards for Enterprise, as the programme announced its annual list of winners on Wednesday.
Eight Scottish businesses were part of a total of 186 awards were announced, with global brands and local businesses among the Scottish winners recognised in the 2026 edition.
Overall, 76 businesses have been recognised for International Trade, 52 for Innovation, 36 for Sustainability and 22 for Promoting Opportunity (through social mobility).
The eight Scottish firms to receive an award in 2026 are Walker’s Shortbread, the Edinburgh Remakery, Aberdeen-based Maritime Developments, Terumo Aortic of Renfrewshire, West Lothian-based Clarus Networks, Aberdeenshire’s Exceed (XCD) Holdings, the Caledonian Tree Company of Midlothian and McKerr Farming, based in South Lanarkshire.
This year’s edition also marked 60 years since the first awards were conferred in 1966. Then known as the Queen’s Awards, the awards celebrate “the achievements of outstanding businesses from across the UK and Channel Islands and recognising their vital contribution to economic growth and improving lives.”
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) made up 89% of the businesses awarded—164 total—with 24 among those being micro-businesses, with 10 employees or less.
To mark this anniversary year, and “to ensure the Awards continue to reflect the evolving landscape of UK business” the programme announced that a new category has been introduced: The King’s Award for Enterprise – Young Founder.
Created as part of the Department for Business and Trade’s Small Business Plan, the Award will recognise founders aged 18–30 who are actively leading their businesses and driving growth and opportunity.
Blair McDougall, Minister for Small Businesses and Economic Transformation said: “A huge congratulations to every business receiving awards this year, who once again have illustrated the best of British innovation and talent.
“These awards show that right across the UK, there are small businesses that are thriving, growing and succeeding and it’s only right that we champion these successes.”
Elaine Brown, chief executive officer of Edinburgh Remakery, said: “The King’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development is wonderful recognition of Edinburgh Remakery’s achievements and bolsters our credentials as a credible, impactful partner for businesses across the UK.
“We are tackling the fastest-growing waste stream in the world.
“Businesses trust us to ‘clean’ and wipe their donated laptops, tablets and other devices to industry standards and help those devices have a second life.
“We collaborate with charities to provide refurbished devices to people experiencing digital exclusion – it could be a desktop computer for a family, a laptop for an individual or a games console for a young carer.
“Since we entered the award, we’ve actually increased our output – in 2025 we diverted 52 tonnes of e-waste from landfill, a 10% increase in one year.
“We divert waste, create green jobs and tackle exclusion – one laptop at a time.”
